The present invention relates to rail boards, in particular, although not exclusively, to rail boards for model vehicles.
Rails and tracks for use with model vehicles are often assembled from sections in the form of rail boards or track segments. Rail boards generally comprise a base and one or more rails, which rails may be electrically conductive. It is usual for one or both ends of each rail board to comprise an attachment means for connecting the board to another board.
Often, prior art rail boards have sharp rail edges, which makes assembly easier. However, these exposed sharp edges can cause injury when the rail board is handled.
One common rail board design comprises at least one spigot extending from one end of the board and a socket in the other end of the board, the socket having dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the spigot. The at least one spigot may be provided by an extension of the rail. In use, the spigot of one board is inserted into the socket of another board, to connect the two boards together. However, this type of connection means has a tendency to effect only a loose connection between adjacent boards. Furthermore, the socket and the spigot are liable to deformation if the board is dropped or crushed or the like, which deformation can affect the ease of assembly. In some cases, damage to the spigot or socket can prevent connection of the boards.
An alternative rail board design is disclosed in United Kingdom patent application number 8923646.7, which comprises a protrusion provided by an extended base section that co-operates with a cutaway base section of another board section. Two adjacent board sections are joined together by pushing the extended base section of one board into the cut away section of the other board. Although the board design of United Kingdom patent application number 8923646.7 may comprise a neck and barrel arrangement to improve the connection between adjacent boards, the push-fit arrangement for connecting the boards means that they are easily disconnected if the track is accidentally disrupted.
GB 2 236 957 discloses a track board having a projection and socket at each end for connecting adjacent boards. The rails extend along the projection and have a socket in the end thereof to receive a connecting pin located in the corresponding board socket. Therefore, when two boards ate pushed together to insert the projection into the board socket, the rails are simultaneously joined by pushing the connecting pins into the rail sockets.
It is an aim of preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved rail board.
The present invention provides a rail board comprising a base and at least one rail, the base comprising a projection extending from a first end of the base and a corresponding socket on second end of the base, the socket being provided by an opening in the surface of the base, wherein the rail extends along the projection and a contact is located in the socket, characterised in that at least part of the projection has an outwardly tapered profile and there is an opening in the projection below the rail, so that, in use, the rail can fit over the contact of another board.
Suitably, substantially the whole of the projection has an outwardly tapered profile. The profile of the projection is suitably substantially a trapezium, wherein the longer parallel edge is distal the first end of the base and the shorter parallel edge is adjacent the first end of the base. In this case, the none parallel edges taper outwards from the first end of the base towards the distal end of the projection.
The projection may be provided by an extension of the base. Alternatively, the projection may be provided by a separate element. The separate element is fixedly attached to the base. The separate element may comprise attachment means for connecting the separate element to the base. The attachment means may comprise one or more protrusions designed to fit into openings on the end of the base.
Suitably, the at least one track of the rail board runs along the length of the base, preferably extending between the first end and the second end.
The contact connects the rail of one rail board with the rail of another rail board. The contact may be provided by a spigot extending from the rail into the socket. Alternatively, or in addition, the contact may be provided by an extension of the rail. In this case, the contact section of the rail may have reduced dimensions relative to the rest of the rail, to allow the rail of the connecting board to fit over the contact section of the rail. Since the contact extends into the socket it will be protected by the surrounding base of the rail board and therefore less likely to be damaged than the prior art devices referred to above.
The rail is suitably provided by a substantially U-shaped extrusion. The dimensions of the rail and the contact are suitably chosen such that, in use, the rail extending along the projection fits over the contact extending into the socket when adjacent rail boards are connected.
The rail and the contact may comprise any suitable material. If the rail is intended to be electrically conductive, the rail and the contact are preferably metal.
The rail may be embedded into the base. In which case, the base suitably comprises a channel in the board adjacent the rail, to allow contact of a model vehicle with the rail. Alternatively, the rail may stand proud of the base.
The base suitably comprises an upper surface and a lower surface. The rail is suitably located in the upper surface of the base.
The base may be any suitable shape. For example, the rail board may be substantially rectangular in shape, either substantially straight or curved, or the rail board may have a substantially U-shaped, X-shaped or L-shaped configuration or the rail board may have a substantially circular, oblique, elliptical, triangular, square or other polygonal shape. Suitably, the first end of the base is opposite the second end of the base.
The base may be solid with the opening in the surface providing the socket comprising a cutaway section of the solid base. Alternatively part of all of the base may be hollow. In this case, the opening in the surface providing the socket is suitably provided by an indentation in the base.
The opening providing the socket is suitably located in the surface of the base in which the rail is located. The profiles of the opening suitably corresponds substantially with the profile of the protrusion. Preferably, the opening providing the socket does not extend through the full depth of the base. Advantageously, the socket comprises a bottom wall, which bottom wall is preferably provided by the base of the rail board.
A rail board according to the present invention may comprise a plurality of projections and corresponding sockets. If the board comprises a plurality of projections, the rail board may comprise a plurality of projections at one end of the base and a corresponding number of sockets at the other end of the base. Alternatively, one or more of the projections may be located at the first end of the base, whilst the remaining projection or projections are located at the second end of the base. The board may comprise a projection and an adjacent socket at the first end of the board and a projection and an adjacent socket at the second end of the base. The board may comprise a series of two or more adjacent projections next to a series of one or more sockets at one end, with a corresponding arrangement of sockets and projections at the other end of the board.
A rail board according to the present invention suitably comprises a plurality of rails. The rail board may comprise a single pair of rails. The rail board may comprise a plurality, for example, two, pairs of rails. Suitably, the rail board comprises one projection and socket arrangement for each pair of rails.
For example, if the rail board comprises two or more pairs of rails, the first end of the base may comprise a projection for the first pair of rails and a socket for the second pair of rails. In this case, the second end of the base suitably comprises a socket for the first pair of rails and a projection for the second pair of rails.
Suitably, each pair of rails comprises a projection at one end of the board and a socket at the other end of the board.
The present invention further provides a method of connecting a first and second rail board according to the present invention, comprising the following steps:
If the first and second rail boards comprise a projection at one end and a socket at the other end of the base the step of aligning the second rail board relative to the first rail board suitably includes elevating the second rail board above the first rail board.
If the rail board comprises one projection and one adjacent socket at each end of the base, then the step of aligning the second rail board relative to the first rail board suitably comprises twisting the second rail board relative to the first rail board such that the projection of the first rail board is above the socket of the second rail board and the projection of the second rail board is above the socket of the first rail board.
The twisting step of the method may also be advantageously used with a first and second rail board according to the present invention each comprising a series of two or more projections next to one or more adjacent sockets at a first end of the board and a corresponding series of two or more sockets next to one or more adjacent projections at the second end of the board.
Previously, rail boards were connected by pushing two pieces together horizontally. The twisting step of embodiments of the present invention advantageously provides a connection between adjacent boards that is stronger when the connected boards are moved or lifted.
The step of bringing the first and second rail boards into contact with one another includes connecting the rail of the first rail board with the rail of the second rail board. If the first and second rail boards comprise a plurality of rails, this step suitably includes contacting each rail of the first rail board with a corresponding rail of the second rail board.
The present invention advantageously provides a rail board which is easily connected to another similar rail board, wherein the connection is tight and secure. The projection arrangement means that the rail connections are less likely to get damaged if the board is dropped. The tapered shape means that the boards are secured tightly and not likely to loosen in use.
The rail board of the present invention does not comprise exposed sharp rail edges. Therefore, injuries during handling are less likely to occur.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:-
Figures 1-6 show a first rail board 2 and a second rail board 4, which first and second rail boards 2, 4 are substantially the same. Therefore, like features of each board 2, 4 will be referred to with like reference numerals.
The rail boards 2, 4 comprise a base 6, which is hollow (see figures 5 and 6), and a first pair of rails 8 and a second pair of rails 10. Each pair of rails 8, 10 extends along the length of the base 6, which base is rectangular in shape.
Each base 6 further comprises a projection 12 at a first end of the first pair of rails 8 and a socket 14 at the second end of the first pair of rails 8. Each base 6 comprises a projection 12 at the second end of the second pair of rails 10 and a socket 14 at the first end of the second pair of rails 10. Therefore, each end of the base 6 comprises a projection 12 and a socket 14. The projection 12 at the end of the first pair of rails 8 is at the opposite end of the base to the projection 12 at the end of the second pair of rails 10.
The projections 12 are provided by an extension of the base 6. The projections 12 taper outwards from the end of the rectangular section of the base 6.
The sockets 14 have shape and dimensions which correspond substantially with those of the projections 12. The sockets 14 are provided by an indentation (see figure 6) in the base 6, the indentation providing an opening in the upper surface 20 of the base and maintaining a bottom in the socket 14, the bottom of the socket 14 being provided by a portion 22 of the base 6.
The rails 8, 10 extend into the sockets 14 to provide a contact for connection of the rails on the first board 2 with the rails on the second board 4. The rails 8, 10 extend along the projections 12. As can be seen from figures 1, 3 and 6, the rails 8, 10 are provided by U-shaped extrusions. A closure 16 is provided at the end of each rail 8, 10 at the edge of the socket 14. The end of the rail 8, 10 at the edge of the projection 12 is left open. The section of rail 8, 10 that extends across the socket 14 has slightly smaller dimensions than the rest of the rail to allow the rail of the projection 12 to fit over the rail in the socket 14.
As can be seen from figures 5 and 6, the base 6 is provided by a hollow moulded plastics material. The projection 12 is provided by an extension of the base 6 and the rails 8, 10 are supported in the projection. In this embodiment, the base is thicker in the region in which the rails are supported. The socket 14 is provided by a moulded indentation in the base 6. The bottom 22 of the socket 14 has moulded projections 24 for supporting the rails 8, 10. In the projection 12, there is an opening in the base 6 below the rails 8, 10, so that the rails can fit over the moulded projections (24), in the socket 14 when the boards 2, 4 are fitted together.
In use of the rail boards 2, 4, opposite ends of the boards 2, 4 are brought together. One or both of the boards 2, 4 are twisted so that each projection 12 on one board is above a corresponding socket 14 on the other board. The boards 2, 4 are then brought into contact with one another, so that the projections 12 fit into the sockets 14. In this arrangement, the open ends of the rails 8, 10 on the projections 12 will fit over the closed ends of the rails 8, 10 or the moulded projections 24 in the sockets 14.
A channel 18 is provided in the base 6 between each pair of rails 8, 10 to allow model vehicles to run along the rails in use.